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How to Write a Meta Analysis Research Paper
A meta-analysis is a powerful tool used to summarize and accumulate knowledge in a research field. It is among the types of publications known to receive a large number of citations in biomedical sciences. They provide useful information and novels since they consolidate previous evidence published in many previous reports and derive new findings.
A meta-analysis discusses the differences in study outcomes or results and the reasons behind them. It also involves a detailed analysis of a vast mass of literature. Do you see how useful they are? It is always important to organize your work and follow a unique and efficient process to be clear and compelling.
Steps to Follow When Writing a Meta Analysis For College
Writing a meta-analysis for your research paper can be challenging, but the steps listed below will give a completely different experience.
Step 1: Develop a research question
The research question included in the text formulated as the topic and the focus of the paper. In other words, this is what you intend to discuss or the problem you are trying to solve. It is more like a spiral that provides logical connections among the different types of your essay. In a meta-analysis, the question must align with the objectives of the given study and correspond with the methodology.
The question should represent an imaginary starting point for the selection of appropriate keywords.
Step 2: Locate and select studies
There are different types of studies, but unfortunately, some of them may be useless. A poorly conducted research will only add bias to your meta-analysis. It is advisable to come up with inclusion criteria. However, your standards will depend on what you are studying. The truth is you cannot drop studies because you do not like the author.
Step 3: Determine Selection Criteria
The classification criteria should follow:
- The publication year
- The number of citations in the paper
- Keyword
- Aim of the article
- Type of publication
- The study design
- Conflicts of interest
- Language of the publication
Step 4: Analyze, present, and interpret results
After collecting your article, you need to account for the results. Tell the reader why you came up with the results and what made you for them. Present them in an orderly way without forgetting to discuss them in detail.
Step 5: Calculate the Effect Sizes
These may be the most challenging steps since you have to determine the effect size in the articles collected. The item will report effect sizes in different metrics, so choose the size on each paper. Please remember that you must be accurate.
Remember that the primary purpose of a meta-analysis in your research paper is to estimate the effect size in the population by combining the effect sizes from different articles. Typically, effect sizes from large samples are more accurate.
The meta-analysis should provide:
- The accurate effect size
- The significance of the accurate effect size
- The variability between effect sizes across the paper
Step 7: Write the Meta Analysis Down
Did you know that meta-analysis is the route of all academic fame? Now you know. To write a meta-analysis for your research paper, follow Rosenthal’s (1995) guideline since they are sensible and noted clearly.
Anytime you are writing a meta-analysis, you should follow the IMRAD structure used in a regular research article. However, the method section is crucial when writing a meta-analysis. The methodology used should be explained logically and clearly.
Always write the components listed below in detail.
- Exclusion and inclusion criteria
- Identification and selection of studies
- Data analysis
- Data extraction
- Quality assessment
Any other section not mentioned above will be more like a regular article.
How to Structure a Meta Analysis for Your Research Paper
As mentioned earlier, a meta-analysis follows the structure of a regular article. It includes the following:
- Title – It reflects the topic under study.
- Abstract – It gives a summary of what you discuss in the entire research paper.
- An Introduction – The section explains why you are doing the research.
- Methods – This is the methodology used when drafting your meta-analysis
- Results – This section gives the outcome and the effect of the research.
- Discussion – It summarizes the main findings, discusses the limitation and reliability of the outcome.
- References – It gives all the tools you used to gather information while doing the study.
Was the article helpful? Can you write a research paper meta-analysis now? I believe, yes. You need to follow the right steps outlined in this article.
